Distension Beta Suggestions/Bugfix thread

[Viruk]

Just in case Continuum mangled my PM:

I see a couple of problems with my victory award message.
It says %% at the end of the participation percentage.
Right at the end of the message there is a %245 or something similar that doesn't make much sense.

Also some of the other messages are confusing:

Even when full there is a message saying that only the top base will be used that is usually immediately followed by another message saying both bases will be used. Shouldn't the top base message only appear if there are too few to play both bases?

Sometimes when you are waiting to get in to the game after being disconnected or being kicked out to make room for another player it will message you that there is an open slot and then immediately message you again to kick you out to make room for another player.

I would also like to see some sort of 'waiting' graphic similar to the rearm one so impatient people like me will be less likely to spam the bot to check it hasn't forgotten them.

We also seem to be reshuffling armies every game. Have we given up on the idea of semi-permanent teams or do we need controls in place to prevent hosters from doing casual shuffles?

[roxxkatt]

in short:

TW + RPG = DISTENSION

[2kill]

Hmm


Seeing as i've missed the entirety of this development and thread would someone care to summarise and explain this for me?

As much detail as possible?

Or link me somewhere with an about on this? :wub:

okay...

distension is in its essence a basing match with two bases. where you have to hold both for a set time (not sure whats it is at now it kept changing maybe one minute?). this is where its starts changing. you start playing with access to only TWO BASIC (I mean really basic they move like snails) ships (the terr and warbird I belive) you then go about trying to gain RP (rank points). to gain rank points you kill other people the amount depends on their level compared to yours, or you win the basing match which gives an RP bonus (quite big of a bonus too) now since the terr can't kill very well it gets double RP bonus for a round win and gets something called profit sharing which is where he gets a set % of RP that the whole team made in that time (profit sharing is an ability that that the terr can upgrade which I'm getting to).

okay once you have gained enough RP you rank up. this unlocks some UPs (upgrade points) that you can use to upgrade your ship. there is I belive a total of 16 upgrade slots per ship. 1-3 are the same for every ship. 1-3 being thrusters, top speed, and rotation. 6-16 are ship special abilities (like terrs profit sharing which is basic, or warbirds thor which is a high level ability, or sharks which can get more repels) no I didn't forget 4-5 thats later.

this is the basics I think though there is maybe one more thing you should know. there is also a mode of play between basing matchs where it is a soccer (football) game with the nets and where scoring gives RPs

In the advance area there was recently designed "ship types" which is where you chose what you are trying to get your ship to play like. Eg. "warship" which has high energy slow recharge and low UPs (so you have good energy and can tank shots better but can't buy as many special abilities) "science vessel" (which is the only ship that gets to set its own energy and recharge settings which is in upgrade slot 4-5 so its gets a high # of UPs but has to spend some on energy and recharge) there is a different combos along these lines. changing energy, recharge and UPs gains.

this is I belive it if I have missed something its cause I haven't been able to get in a test recently

if you wish to see the map and read the F1 which explains it from the developers view its up at ?go distension

hope this helps

2kill

[StarKitty]

Hmm


Seeing as i've missed the entirety of this development and thread would someone care to summarise and explain this for me?

As much detail as possible?

Or link me somewhere with an about on this? :wub:

[DankNuggets]

Is it time for another bi-monthly update?


I've been hearing a lot of rumors on the distensionbeta chat...

[gdugwyler]

I do believe so -- that is, if ETC is the proper committee/subcommittee/council/whathaveyou, though I think you mentioned this in the past, SG. Let's work something out, fairly soon if possible for both our schedules. I should have some time tomorrow (Wed) if you're around then.

[H.M.S. Stargazer]

Is there any way the ECT can help you my friend?

[jngy slate]

Could someone im me when this finally goes public 24/7?

AIM: jngy slate

[gdugwyler]

Has there been any progression on the debate as to when, how often, and how long it will be hosted? Unfortunately, i'm not in school anymore so i can't skip classes to play

I think the only reason I'm still playing this game is distension. If it finally goes public and I can't play it because of time constraints, I don't know what I'm gonna do.

Initially it will not be available all day -- I'd like to grow demand and get a lot of people hooked again by many regular long hosts and not at predictable times before we see if we can make it work as a constant thing. It's certainly going to be online more than in beta, and unlike beta, will not require a staff member present at all times, just as Elim doesn't and Pub doesn't. But at the same time I want to ensure that the new features in Public work properly, and that we don't kill the fun by running it too much and too soon. In my mind I'm imagining 3 phases:

• Initial release. Limited running, most likely done with a member of staff who is already familiar with the Distension beta process. Working out any kinks, and drawing in new players is the goal.
• Mid. Bot is started up more regularly, and players who send requests for Distension to be started should be in many cases answered with the bot being loaded. The senior ERs and Mods should be able to start the game, and to run it as long as they see interest. Special "hosted" games will allow hosts to alter certain aspects of the game, such as giving a special host RP bonus, or allowing awards to be given (displayed to log, in arena msg and to Distension chat to prevent abuse) based on certain conditions. At this point, the goal is that anyone who wants to play Distension regularly should have the option to do so.
• Final. Now with a significant population built, Distension should be able to run at almost all times, ideally without too severe a drop in population. This is a goal, and not necessarily something that will actually occur. Should there be enough interest, it will be the inevitable result. At this point, certain features may be implemented to prevent grinding, such as giving bonuses to players who didn't play much yesterday, or reducing the amount of RP given after playing 2 or 3 hours in one day, ramping down to maybe a max penalty of 50% after 5 or so hours spent playing in a day.

Hope that assuages you to some degree. I plan to make this work for everyone. It will certainly be available at a variety of times, even in the early stages.

For those interested, today I plan to run a limited test of the bot in public form. The new code is finally to the state where I think it's worth running it and seeing what happens. I haven't been working much on it as I'm taking more than a full load of classes and also working a good bit, leaving on many days as much as 2 hours or as little as about 20 minutes of free time. But it's getting there, and will not be abandoned. I'm balancing keeping my sanity by using some of that spare time to not work on anything and to work on various projects, this being at the top of the list. For example I've stopped writing altogether, except for class, which is rather shitty. Well, maybe once Distension is done I'll be able to get back to that.

See you today if you're around.

[DankNuggets]

I'm assuming that the gears are turning and that the massive machine that is distension is almost done with it's tune-up. Whether it's a week, or Christmas by the time it comes out is begining to be a moot point for me. What I'm more concerned with now is when it will be hosted, not when it will come out.

Has there been any progression on the debate as to when, how often, and how long it will be hosted? Unfortunately, i'm not in school anymore so i can't skip classes to play

I think the only reason I'm still playing this game is distension. If it finally goes public and I can't play it because of time constraints, I don't know what I'm gonna do.

Give me hope.

[gdugwyler]

Thanks to those who sent in flag designs. In the end I decided to go with a couple of my own designs -- I should have just gone ahead myself, as I was fairly particular about how it should look. They aren't too hideous, both working well with the new red/blue motif, which I think is easier to understand than green/purple. Blue and red are far more predictable, but sometimes it's just best to go with what people know. As previously mentioned, the flag display will also now glow either red or blue when there's a hold, to show who in particular has the hold (if you can't tell by the color of the bases). Each also will glow rapidly when within 10 seconds of a win.

The tiles were changed somewhat, brightened up a bit. I think I managed to do it without sacrificing much in the way of depth of color, and now everyone will actually be able to see the walls. The bottom base has the most noticeable change: it's now rather blue, instead of a faded green. The inner blocks are a sort of icy color now as well, bringing home the overall motif, and coupled with the flags, making it completely unmistakable which base is which army's "home" base. Unfortunately the flags aren't in yet, but I may upload those tomorrow along with other new LVZ items. Having a managable amount of work to do this weekend, I hope to tackle a brief A1 LVZ recommending new players hit F1, and then the F1 itself.

[DankNuggets]

something along the lines of the starwars intergalatic republic symbol for IP, that's kinda what i always thought it was anyway

[Viruk]

for People's Republic, I'd like no text on the flag, and maybe a parody on the old hammer-and-sickle USSR flag. Perhaps two intersecting items symbolic of a more modern communist government, but arrayed in a similar fashion.

My vote goes for a good old-fashioned skull and crossbones motif in place of the soviet hammer and sickle. That seems as good a way to symbolize the 'misanthropy' bit of the name as anything else I can think of.

Roll on the public release!

[Andy H.K.]

Well, I am in the Distension chat. That day, I checked the chat, I see the bot, I ?go $distension, it was there, nobody else. My levels were there, but my upgrades were gone.

Now, let's take a look at the date:
Today: Sept 8
Sertifi posted on: Sept 8
My last post on: Sept 2
Bot last online on: 5 days ago (based on Sertifi's post)
5 days before today is: Sept 3

So I believe the bot was still online for some time after my post!

Sorry for disappointing anyone who consider my last post a "release announcement". Sorry Sertifi.

[roxxkatt]

?find distensionbot
Not online, last seen 5 days ago

How about you stop spreading rumours that you randomly hear?

you got some brown stuff on your nose there.
perhaps it happened on your long trip on the bandwagon?

get the fuck out, thanks.